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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
• "Is that email a scam?" - Check it online here!
  
• Frequently asked Questions (419 FAQ)
• Phone numbers used by 419 scammers
  (+225 +229 +234 +27 +31 +32 +34 +44 other)
• Company names mentioned in 419 spam:
  1 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
• Support our efforts to stop scams!
  
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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam
  
  
• Spam archive, Daily index
  

Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "vat (5%)" (VAT is 17.5% in the UK but 5% in Nigeria)
  • "affidavit " (Barristers (lawyers) mentioned in 419 scams are always fake.)
  • "cheque " (Beware of any scheme that involves cashing checks or money orders and then wiring a portion of the funds somewhere - you'll be liable for the entire amount if the checks or money orders turn out to be fake, even after you have received and forwarded cash)
• This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
  
  1. They don't notify winners by email.
  2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
  3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
  4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
  5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
  6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
  7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!
• This email lists mobile phone numbers. Use of such numbers is typical for scams because they allow criminals to conceal their true location. They can receive calls in an Internet cafe from where they send you emails, while pretending to be in some office.
  • +447011121594 (UK, redirects to a mobile phone in another country)

Fraud email example:

From: "Visual Dispatch Deliveries" <visual.dispatch.deliveries@googlemail.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 09:30:47 +0100
Subject: CHOOSE DELIVERY OPTION


**
*VISUAL DISPATCH DELIVERIES*
*Victoria House 144-146 Beddington Lane *
*Croydon CR0 4TD *
*United Kingdom*
*Tel: +44 701 1121594*
**
**
*Dear Andrei** ,*
**
*Your reference number has been confirmed. This means that you have been
officially cleared for payment by the Verifications Dept. at the
headquarters of the THE LOTTERY DEPARTMENT BMW. Your car, your winning
cheque, original copy of your winning certificate, together with a covering
document (Money Laundering protection and Letter of Affidavit for Claims)
from the BMW GROUP stating that the money was obtained legally through their
BMW promotion will be sent to you as soon as you choose from any of the
option stipulated below. *
**
*To begin the final step of the claims process, which is the shipment of
your BRAND NEW CAR AND WINNING CHEQUE . With regards to this, there are
Three options open to you. **You are required to select the most convenient
of the Three.*

*The options, together with their associated conditions are presented
below:You are be required to pay the necessary courier charges to enable us
send you your car, cheque and other claim documents.
We are shipping your winning cross cheque and car to you via any of this
channel listed below:*


*DHL*
[image: DHL UK Home]
*Mailing £265.00
Insurance £278.00
Vat (5%) £40.00
TOTAL £583.00
($1,014.82 )*


*UPS*
[image: UPS] <http://www.ups.com/content/gb/en/index.jsx> **
*Mailing £345.00
Insurance £156.00
Vat (5%) £40.00
TOTAL £541.00
($1,020.49)*



*FEDEX*
[image: FedEx Express Logo] <http://fedex.com/gb/>
*Mailing £322.00
Insurance £116.00
Vat (5%) £40.00
TOTAL £478.00
($901.655 )*

**
**
*This company declined reverse payment for these charges, stating that it is
against their professional policy towards ensuring the safe delivery of the
cheque to you. That if a reverse payment is made, and something goes wrong,
that we/you cannot sue the courier company or insurance company to recover
the full value of the fund as stipulated in the cheque since payment for
insurance cover was not made at point of mailing.With the above reason,
reverse payment is ruled out.*
**
*Note: that your prize is protected by a hardcover insurance policy, which
makes it impossible to deduct any amount from the money before it has been
remitted to you. This means that the above charges cannot be deducted from
the prize and hence must be provided by you before your prize is transferred
to you. *
*This is in accordance with section 13(1)(n) of the national gambling act as
adopted in 1993 and amended on 3RD July 1996 by the constitutional
assembly.This is to protect winners and to avoid misappropriation of funds.
*
**
*Send your response to indicate your option within the next 24hrs, because
you only have 6 days to claim this cheque and after this period, your cash
prize will be deemed to have been forfeited by you and will be reused in the
drawings of the next edition of the promo. *
*Once again,congratulations.*
**
*YOURS SINCERELY,*
* Mr Victor Bloom.*
*(DELIVERY OFFICER)*

Anti-fraud resources:

• What can you do when you receive 419 spam